Tailgate

After celebrating New Year's Eve, Marshall visits his father's graveside to carry on their tradition of tailgating. Meanwhile, Barney and Ted open a bar called "Puzzles", and Robin is forced to fill in for an inebriated news anchor.

Contents

Recap

Future Ted says that Marshall visits his father's grave on New Year's Day 2012 to continue their tailgating tradition. Marshall then recounts the events of New Year's Eve to his father:

Lily and Marshall are setting up the baby's room in their house in the suburbs, when Marshall asks Lily to tell her father that she is pregnant. Lily says she doesn't want to because her father is at a board game convention in Chicago and because she doesn't want to be disappointed by him again. After Marshall's insistence, she calls her father who thanks her and immediately hangs up the phone. Later, Lily finds a book about supernatural experiences and mythical creatures titled "Enigmas of the Mystical" in the baby room. Marshall says that he wants to read this to his kids, as he wants them to be believers like him, but Lily doesn't agree. She says that she doesn't believe in these things as she only learned to believe in herself after being constantly disappointed by her father.

After facing difficulty in gaining entry to MacLaren's, Barney and Ted open a bar in the apartment named Puzzles, an idea they had years ago. Despite their initial decision of keeping the drink prices low, they are forced to increase them when the crowd gets rowdy and starts breaking things. Eventually, they recruit Doug to throw everyone out.

Robin is spending her New Year's Eve with Kevin when she gets a call from Sandy Rivers, asking her to become his producer as his producer Tina has quit. After Sandy repeatedly disappears on Robin and goes missing just before midnight, she calls Kevin in a panic, unsure of what to do. Kevin, who has just happened upon a drunk Sandy in Ted and Robin’s bathroom, encourages Robin to go on the air herself, neglecting to tell her that he has the solution to her problem. Future Ted says that this night was a turning point in Robin's career, as she became the co-anchor with Sandy Rivers after saving the day by stepping in.

Gradually, many people have gathered beside Marshall at his father's grave, including his brothers. When someone calls Marshall "Marvin" due to the resemblance with his father, Marshall remembers that his father always welcomed others at his tailgates, and asks his brothers to join him. Meanwhile, Lily opens the door at her home in East Meadow and sees her father with a teddy bear. He tells her that he drove all night to get to her, and Lily hugs him, teary eyed, and greets him a Happy New Year.

Wow, he's totally wasted. Can we keep airing this?... This is bad... Feel free to change over to Seacrest, everybody...

Lily:

Dad, I'm pregnant.

Mickey:

Great, thanks. (rolls over table at gaming convention) My daughter's having a baby!

Lily:

Did you drive all night?

Mickey:

Well, Teddy and I split the drive. This guy's a maniac behind the wheel.

Lily:

I'm glad you're a believer, baby, but I'm never gonna believe in an "enigma of the mystical" unless I see it with my own eyes. Because the truth is, my father never taught me believe in anything but myself.

Marshall:

Well, if it helps at all, I believe in you, too.

Lily:

Then there's a pretty good chance I don't exist.

Marshall:

(chuckles) How dare you?!

—Lily tells Marshall how skeptical she is about things because her father was never there for her.

Ted:

Don't bother, everybody. MacLaren's is a rip-off! (scoffs) You'd all be better off coming upstairs to my place for a beer.

Barney:

Hey, dude. You serious? Ted, do you remember a couple years ago, we had the best idea of all time?

Ted:

We should buy a bar.

Barney:

Of course! We should buy a bar! The name of our bar? Puzzles. People will be like, "Why is it called Puzzles?" That's the puzzle.

Ted:

A bar where no one's overcharged, where everyone feels valued and respected.

Barney:

A bar where we get chicks drunk and bang them.

Ted:

We're opening Puzzles tonight.

Barney:

Of course we're opening Puzzles tonight!

Ted:

Aren't you going to ask us why it's called Puzzles?

Doug:

Nope.

Ted:

Okay.

Notes and Trivia

Goofs and Errors

Lily said that she is not a believer. However, in Matchmaker she said that she and Marshall were believers.

Marshall says that his brother Marcus still lives with their mother, however in Who Wants to Be a Godparent? he says that his brother is a great dad and shows a picture of him, his wife, and two children. It is unlikely that he would be unemployed and still live with his mother while married with children.

Marcus does appear to be living at home with his mother in Oh Honey, however it is also possible that he is just staying there to comfort his mother, like Marshall is.

Allusions and Outside References

The sign "Puzzles" is the same as the one from the TV series, Cheers. The theme song for "Puzzles" is also musically reminiscent of the theme song for Cheers.

The book series Enigmas of the Mystical that Marshall plans to read to his child is a parody of the Time-Life Books Mysteries of the Unknown series, with similar TV commercials and title fonts, only this knock-off compromises its own credibility by including explanations that are what all rational people say REALLY happened.

Marshall hosts a tailgate party during the Bears vs. Vikings football game on 1 January 2012. This game was actually played on 1 January 2012; the Bears won 17 - 13.